TOWAMENCIN — The township’s board of supervisors voted Wednesday to approve a zoning ordinance amendment for a 12.12-acre parcel near the intersection of Mainland and Wambold roads, according township Manager Rob Ford.

He said the vote during the board’s public meeting, to change the zoning from Light Industrial to Mixed Residential, will allow an Upper Gwynedd developer to move forward with a plan to build 48 townhouses on the parcel.

Earlier this year, officials from W.B. Homes, Inc. asked the board to change the zoning and permit the construction of Mainland Square, consisting of 12 four-unit buildings near the intersection.

According to Ford, the developer must now complete the land development process to get permission to build on the parcel.

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In January, Chris Canavan — the developer’s director of land acquisition and development — argued before the board that the zoning change would blend with similar developments between Wambold Road and the Towamencin Town Square in the Kulpsville section of the township.

He also pointed out that the supervisors changed the zoning along a corridor of Wambold Road, north of the intersection, to accommodate the road project in December of 2011.

Last month James Garrity, an attorney for the developer, argued during a public hearing that the property’s heavily sloped nature makes the construction of large industrial buildings impractical.

Three months earlier, officials from W.B. Homes, Inc. appeared at a public meeting to ask the board to change the zoning from to light industrial to mixed residential.

The Heck family owns the tract — which combines two separate tax parcels, is adjacent to the former Mainland Inn property and includes remnants of Industrial Drive — which was created by the construction of the Sumneytown Pike/ Route 309 Connector Project, according to Canavan.

He said five months ago that the family has attempted to sell the property for the last five years, but has discovered some challenges due to the current zoning.

At the same meeting, William Bonenberger, the president and founder of W.B. Homes, Inc., told the supervisors that he expects the townhouses, with prices starting in the high $200,000 range, to appeal to several demographics.

He said the potential home buyers would likely range from first-time owners to empty nesters who don’t want to move into an age-restricted community.